Fancy Mac-N-Cheese

My husband absolutely loves mac-n-cheese, and my son and I like it too. This time, I wanted to do something a little different and I found this one at The Pioneer Woman. I made a bunch of modifications including a lot less bacon and I used Sargento's 6-cheese mix instead of the specialty cheeses she used (Gruyere, Fontina, Chevre). I'm not sure this turned out "better" than our traditional mac-n-cheese where I use flour, shredded cheddar and cheese whiz, but it was a nice change of pace.


Ingredients:
4 cups macaroni
4 T butter
4 slices bacon
leftover bacon grease
1/4 cups flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup half and half
2 egg yolks, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups Sargento 6 cheese Italian blend























































































Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cook macaroni for half of the time specified on the box directions. Drain and set aside.
• Fry bacon until slightly crispy. Place on paper towel. Once cooled, cut up into small pieces with kitchen scissors. Save grease.
• Melt 4 T butter in a pot. Add bacon grease and flour. Whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Pour in milk, half-and-half and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until starts to thicken. Reduce heat to low.
• Separate egg yolks and beat with fork. Drizzle 1/4 cup of hot milk mixture into yolks stirring constantly. Pour egg mixture into sauce and cook for another minute.
• Add cheese and stir until melted. Add bacon and stir.
• Taste for seasoning - add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add cooked macaroni and stir until coated.
• Pour into baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until sizzling and hot.

ENJOY!